Moving to Northwest in Retirement

G

Glinda

Senior Member
Has anyone moved from southern CA to Seattle area in retirement? Are you enjoying it? Regret it?
 

When my husband and I retired, we moved from Maryland to Bainbridge Island, 5 miles west of Seattle. We fell in love with the place, and remained there for 18 years. I have never been so happy living anywhere else.

Eventually, we decided to return to MD to be near our son, and to live in a retirement community. It's fine, and I enjoy iiving here (my husband has been gone now nearly 5 years), but I will always get a warm glow when I think of the wonderful home we had in the Pacific Northwest. The quality of life beats anything I have ever seen anywhere else. (And no, it doesn't rain all the time! The weather is "damp" in the winter and spring, magnificent in the summer and fall. The climate is gentle and maybe a little boring, similar to England's. Right now, With the weather we're getting this winter, it would be nice to have some of that boring climate.)
 
I lived in Olympia Wa for 7 or 8 years. I can't remember now. I went to nursing school while I was there at least. It was cheap when I was first there in 1985. So was Seattle for a large city. Prices now are high and they love to blame Californians for that. They act like they don't like people from California though there are plenty of them up there.

I never liked it really but that was also circumstantial. I won't bore anyone with the reasons. I liked the rain. It wouldn't hurt to go there and check into things if you are interested in the area.
 
We have been considering the Northwest as a retirement destination for some time now. We have friends in Seattle who have been there for many years and they love it there. The climate isn't bad, proximity to the scenic outdoors, plenty to do in the city itself, etc. I've heard recommdations about the Vancouver area (not sure we could get a visa there). I just know I need to get away from the cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers here in the Northeast.
 
Bobw, are you referring to Vancouver BC? If you are considering Canada, Victoria has less rain, and is not as expensive. Vancouver has the highest priced houses in the country. If you are financially comfortable, I see no reason why a visa would be problematic.
 
Shalimar said:
Bobw, are you referring to Vancouver BC? If you are considering Canada, Victoria has less rain, and is not as expensive. Vancouver has the highest priced houses in the country. If you are financially comfortable, I see no reason why a visa would be problematic.
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Good to know. I loved visiting Victoria several years ago. I'll have to do my homework. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Immigration to British Columbia is closed unless you can show at least $350K in cash assets (may have changed; that was the amt when we checked about 5 yrs ago) AND intend to start a business. No exceptions! Other provinces are a little easier.
 
Let, that is interesting. I have acquaintances, attorneys, who moved to Victoria from Boston two years ago. They did not seem to have any difficulty with immigration. Being in their late sixties, neither have started a busines. Although comfortable, I do not believe they are wealthy. Their home is certainly far from extravagant.
 
Shalimar said:
...I have acquaintances, attorneys, who moved to Victoria from Boston two years ago.
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I think if you check with them or had visited the British Columbia website, you will find immigration remains VERY constricted. There is an excellent "eligibility questionnaire" you can use on their website. As retirees with high income and healthcare benefits, plus family relatives in BC and other Canadian provinces, you would think Spouse and I would be welcome in Canada.

But you would be wrong! Going through the questionnaire, the result flatly states we "are not eligible for any Federal programs at this time."

The Provincial Nominee Program (immigration quota is already filled for 2015 with its max of 5500 immigrants/yr):
http://www.welcomebc.ca/pnp

You can find the categories of eligible immigrants here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp. "Skills-based" is heavily biased towards hi-tech and healthcare professionals, btw.

It should be noted that family sponsorship is prioritized on married spouses or children who already possess Canadian citizenship. So my MIL, despite having 11 siblings and half-siblings living in Vancouver who were willing to sponsor her, DID NOT qualify.

What many foreigners do is apply for a visitor's visa....and just stay. Visitors can use Canada's healthcare services as long as they pay their own bills. A Canadian customs official told MIL that if she extended her stay, the authorities were not interested in 'coming after her' as long as she paid for her own healthcare treatments. She was not, of course, eligible for their senior housing which was why she didn't move there.
 
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If you leave the US, your Medicare coverage stops at the border.

When we visited the Seattle area in the winter we got very tired of the endless gloom and rain. There is no way we would live there.
 
Manatee said:
When we visited the Seattle area in the winter we got very tired of the endless gloom and rain. There is no way we would live there.
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I love visiting Seattle, but it IS gloomy a major part of the year. It has the highest rate of suicides of any major US city. Some friends of ours moved up there to take a new job, in November or December, if I remember correctly. I warned them they would not see a true sunny day until August. They thought I was kidding....but when they came back 15 months later, they told me, "Hey, you were right! You only see the sun one month out of the year up there!"

Everett, just north of Seattle, is a booming town. Still small, charming, and has a vibrant economy based on the Naval deep-sea port up there.

We have friends in Port Angeles, but the Olympic peninsula is as isolated as it is lovely. Great for active seniors, harder for people who are frail elderly without family.
 
Manatee said:
If you leave the US, your Medicare coverage stops at the border.

When we visited the Seattle area in the winter we got very tired of the endless gloom and rain. There is no way we would live there.
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Yes, but if you are able to get a visa then you'd probably be eligible for their national health care.
 
Had the Northwest Territory for five years when I was a corporate guy and I think that it has its merits. Seattle is going great as well as the smaller towns near there. Boeing has been having record years. I did a lot of camping and hiking in the mountains and caught a lot of salmon. Rode dirt bikes in the forests and went to a lot of the unlimited hydro boat races. A new resident up there will need to be ready to replace their wiper blades a couple of times each year. Most folks adjust to the weather over a period of time but some don't.
 
Agman said:
Had the Northwest Territory for five years when I was a corporate guy and I think that it has its merits. Seattle is going great as well as the smaller towns near there. Boeing has been having record years. I did a lot of camping and hiking in the mountains and caught a lot of salmon. Rode dirt bikes in the forests and went to a lot of the unlimited hydro boat races. A new resident up there will need to be ready to replace their wiper blades a couple of times each year. Most folks adjust to the weather over a period of time but some don't.
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Make sure you and your's take a daily supplemental vitamin 'D', my doctor said everyone living in the northwest should.
 

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